After a long wait, America’s Voice applauds the confirmation of Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), a strong advocate for all workers and a champion of comprehensive immigration reform, as Secretary of the U.S. Labor Department. Below is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:

“America’s Voice welcomes Secretary Solis’ confirmation to lead the U.S. Department of Labor. She is a strong advocate for the rights of all workers and a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform.

“Secretary Solis understands how our dysfunctional immigration system leads to worker exploitation. When millions of undocumented workers are without the protection of the law, it encourages unscrupulous employers to undercut the wages and working conditions of all workers. These bad actor employers also undercut honest competitors who do play fair. Strong labor law enforcement combined with immigration reform that brings undocumented workers out of the shadows will restore the rule of law to both the labor market and the immigration system. We look forward to working with Secretary Solis and other members of the Obama Administration to make this goal a reality in the coming year.”

America’s Voice also supports a petition effort organized by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which gathered over 10,000 pledges of support for Rep. Solis’ confirmation. The petition was delivered to Capitol Hill on February 11th.

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